1986 Idaho gubernatorial election


The 1986 Idaho gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986 to elect the governor of the state of Idaho. Cecil Andrus, a former Democratic governor, was elected defeating the Republican Lieutenant Governor David H. Leroy.
This was an open seat election; the incumbent John V. Evans ran for the U.S. Senate, but lost.

Nominations

Republican Lieutenant Governor David Leroy announced his candidacy for governor 14 months before the election in the autumn of 1985. Leroy was a former Ada County prosecutor and attorney general of Idaho.
Democrat former governor Cecil Andrus declared his bid for governor six months later in March 1986. He held the office for six years, until his appointment as U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Incumbent Evans, successor to Andrus in 1977, chose to run for the U.S. Senate.
Neither Andrus nor Leroy faced opposition for their respective nominations.

Campaign

As election day neared polls showed Democrat Andrus ahead in of the Republican Leroy.

Election results

It was the third win for Andrus and the fifth consecutive for the Democrats.